Today we continued to clean back the concealing layers of soil that were obscuring the archaeological features that lay beneath. This revealed that the position of part the ‘banjo’ enclosure ditch was possibly not as expected.
The day began with the workforce being divided into year groups. The first years had a challenging day, having to repeatedly trowel back a problematic clay soil to try to define the ditch that ran along the back of the banjo enclosure. Towards the end of the day their spirits were lifted with the discovery of the ditch edge, which came as a reward for their efforts.
The task for the second years was to clean up the edges of the trench. After a day of teamwork, straightening edges, shovelling and wheelbarrowing, the site looked more aesthetically pleasing.
The third years began a gruelling job of shifting the ever-growing spoil heap in order to extend the trench slightly to incorporate the full extent of the ‘banjo’ ditch. Much to their dismay, the ditch seemed to be disappearing further under the spoil heap more than expected.
In terms of today’s finds, there was a gaming counter, a copper alloy brooch pin, animal bone and teeth, as well as a variety of pottery, including bright orange decorated ‘Samian’ ware, which could suggest that this site may in fact been inhabited at some point by higher status settlement. Other more vital discoveries of the day included the need for a cushioned kneeling mat when trowelling!
Finally, the solution provided by Harry Manley’s expert advice on locating the disappearing ‘banjo’ ditch was “not to speculate, but excavate“.
Lauren and Zoe
Day 2: Decorated pottery, a gaming counter, and animal bone, all discovered during the cleaning of the site.